


When I Fall in Love/Ready to Go

by wanderlustlights



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Complete, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 21:31:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20070910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderlustlights/pseuds/wanderlustlights
Summary: In no way had Kurt ever thought he could sing like this.





	When I Fall in Love/Ready to Go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [savekenny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/savekenny/gifts).

> So yesterday Zoe and I were talking (you know, as you do) about Kurtofsky feels and she mentioned how “When I Fall in Love” is a Kurtofsky song. So naturally I needed to write a fic for her with that song. And then it morphed into Kurt singing something back to him. And yeah. Enjoy? Songs used: “When I Fall in Love” by Nat King Cole and “Ready to Go (Get Me Out of My Mind)” by Panic! at the Disco.

He’s been standing up there for two minutes, not doing anything. Kurt watches him warily, giving him a reassuring smile when Dave looks back at him, shoulders hunched slightly. **  
**

“Whenever you’re ready, Dave,” says Mr. Schue, and Dave glances back at him, nodding.

“Right, uh. It’s a Nat King Cole song,” he says, surprising Kurt as well as the rest of the club. “That okay?”

Mr. Schuester smiles. “Of course,” he says, as the band begins to play.

_When I fall in love, it will be forever  
Or I’ll never fall in love_

When he opens his mouth to sing, Kurt’s mouth slowly drops, and when he looks over at Rachel and Finn, he can see theirs doing the same. Kurt looks back at Dave in front of them, blinking in confusion at him. How had he been keeping this a secret from him for so long? Ever since junior prom he and Dave had become a lot closer and had become fairly good friends, much to everyone’s surprise - Kurt, most of all, had never expected that to happen. He and Blaine had lasted until mid-June before they’d broken up and Dave had talked him through it and been a good source of support and a shoulder to cry on in the days following. 

“Are you okay?” said Dave, stepping out of the movie theater one night, about a week after the day Blaine had called it quits.

Kurt gave him a smile. “I will be. Thanks again, by the way. You really didn’t have to be there for me this whole week, it really wasn’t necessary. I would have been fine by myself eventually.”

Dave shrugged. “What are friends for, right?”

Kurt eyed him skeptically with a smile. “Friends? I suppose we are, huh?” he said, watching as Dave’s cheeks turned slightly pink under the theater’s lights.

They’d spent a good part of the summer hanging out and becoming better friends, and when school had started, they’d become inseparable, though he was still pretending to date Santana. Dave had said he’d come out eventually and Kurt had suggested he join him in glee club, since they were basically like a family and would always have each other’s backs. Dave reluctantly said maybe, and after some more coaxing, had finally said okay.

But in no way had Kurt ever thought he could sing like _this_. 

He watches as Dave’s cheeks seem to turn a brighter shade at everyone observing him like this, scrutinizing him as he auditions.

_In a restless world like this is_  
Love is ended before it’s begun  
And too many moonlight kisses  
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun

Dave’s eyes land on him, glancing between him and the floor as he sings.

_When I give my heart, it will be completely_  
Or I’ll never give my heart  
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too  
Is when I fall in love with you

Kurt stares at him, breathing slightly shakily as the instrumentals kick in and Dave glances around the room as though to gauge everyone’s reactions. He’d always thought that that kiss in the locker room back in November was Dave’s way of trying to be heard, to let someone in on who he is, and not actually about liking Kurt in particular but about the fact that he was into guys. 

Now, Kurt isn’t so sure. 

_And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too  
Is when I fall in love with you_

The room is silent for a moment after he finishes the last note before breaking out into a round of applause. 

“Did you know he could sing like that?” Mercedes whispers, leaning over to him as he claps in bewilderment.

Kurt shakes his head, still staring at Dave’s awkward form. “I… no. Not at all.”

“Didn’t you guys spend pretty much the whole summer together though?”

“Yes, but-” he says as the clapping slows, making room for Rachel’s voice.

“That was beautiful, Dave,” she gushes. “Very romantic. A classic crooner voice.”

“Uh, thanks,” says Dave, and looks at Santana sitting next to Kurt. His next words, even if only for show and to keep up appearances, should be directed toward her. Instead, though, Kurt watches as Dave looks at him while saying them. “It was about Santana,” he mumbles, averting his gaze. 

Kurt stares at Dave in surprise for another moment before he looks over at her, rolling his eyes as she holds a hand to her heart dramatically and smiles. For all of his talk about not using violence to solve your problems, he has the strange urge to hit her. “Thank you, Dave. I will treasure this moment forever.”

“Good god,” Kurt mutters.

“Hold up,” says Artie, raising a hand in front of him, “that’s still going on?”

“Of course,” says Santana. “We’re in love. Or did you not hear what he just sang to me with his super awesome sexy voice?”

“But he spent the whole summer hanging out with Kurt,” says Brittany. “Or was I dreaming again?”

Santana smiles over at her. “Not a dream, Britt. But he also spent time with me. His girlfriend. Isn’t that right, Dave?”

Dave opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted by Finn.

“But you were over at our house, like, all the time. Or getting coffee with Kurt, or at the movies with him, or-”

“Okay!” Mr. Schue finally interrupts, standing, and Kurt watches as Dave swallows hard, slinking back slightly as he joins him on the floor. “Let’s all give another round of applause for our newest member! Welcome to the club, Dave,” he says, clapping him on the shoulder. “Now if you’ll take a seat, we can get started on choosing some songs for Sectionals.”

Dave nods, looking up to see Kurt giving him a tentative smile, Dave returning it quickly before sitting in one of the chairs in the row in front of him and Santana. 

Kurt stares at the back of his head for a moment before turning his focus to Mr. Schue, and spends the rest of the hour trying to ignore his heart pounding in his chest.

–

“So you never told me you could sing,” Kurt says later that day when they’re getting coffee. 

Dave shrugs. “Not something I really share.”

“But… your voice is amazing,” says Kurt, baffled. “_You’re_ amazing.”

“I’m alright, I guess,” Dave mumbles, taking a sip of his coffee.

Kurt stares at him. “Seriously? You have a voice like that and you’re ‘alright’? Either you are far too humble for your own good or you honestly don’t know how good you sound. God, I’d kill for a voice like yours.”

“You’re kidding, right?” says Dave. “You’re way better than me.”

“Please, I make my living singing girl songs,” Kurt says, scoffing. “I’m never really taken seriously when I sing songs by guys, and I’ve fairly certain I’ve never been the male lead voice in a group number. If anything, I’m usually in the background, swaying as Finn sings the lead.”

“Then we’ll just have to get you the lead.”

Kurt raises an eyebrow. “You make it sound so easy. Believe me. It’s harder than it sounds.”

“Dude, it’s just singing.”

Kurt bites back a laugh. “Never ever, and I do mean never, let Rachel hear you say that. She might tear you apart from the inside out, just saying.”

“Got it.”

–

Dave comes out a week later. 

Kurt walks up to him in the hallway the next day after reading his post on Facebook, leaning against Dave’s locker, beaming at him.

“Do you have something you would like to tell me?”

“Hello to you, too,” says Dave, shoving his books in his locker and shutting the door. 

Kurt just gives him a pointed look.

“So I take it you saw it?”

Kurt hums. “I did. And judging by the way everyone’s looking at you, I’d say they did as well. Or at least some of them did. The others probably just heard rumors, which you’re substantiating right now by talking to me.”

Dave nods, slinging his backpack on his shoulders. 

“And? How does it feel?”

“A little weird, I guess,” says Dave. “I feel like everyone’s staring at me now.”

Kurt shrugs. “It goes away after a while. You learn to live with people judging you for everything you do when you’re out,” he says, then quirks an eyebrow at him. “What about Azimio? And all your other Neanderthal friends?”

Dave smiles softly. “He actually took it better than I thought he would? I told him before I posted that, though, when he was over after school yesterday playing Call of Duty. Mostly he asked if I’d ever thought about him in the shower and I had to tell him that was a big fuck no. And then he asked me why not, if I didn’t think he was hot.” Kurt lets out a laugh. “And he asked who I did think was hot and if I had a crush on anyone or had a boyfriend or whatever.”

“And?” Kurt asks, trying to keep his emotions in check as he awaits an answer. He doesn’t know if wants to know, really, can only feel the way his stomach turns at the thought of knowing. Despite Dave looking at him through a good portion of his audition song, and the way he’d kissed him last year, and them hanging out all summer, he hasn’t really let himself believe that Dave actually likes him. And clearly Dave isn’t ever going to do something about it if he actually does have some semblance of feelings for him. 

Dave looks at him for a second before shaking his head, smiling. “And nothing, dude. No crush, and I definitely don’t got a boyfriend.”

“If you say so,” Kurt says, watching as Dave nods his head down the hallway. 

“Come on, don’t we gotta go to practice or whatever?”

“Right,” he mutters, as Dave walks past him and toward the choir room.

–

They’re ten minutes into rehearsal, still brainstorming songs they can do for Sectionals in a few weeks, when Kurt looks over at Dave sitting a few chairs down from him. They never really talked more about a song Kurt could do as a male lead but Kurt’s been thinking about it pretty much ever since that day. He’s spent hours trying to find a song, mostly looking at Broadway or Top 40 songs, but none of them have really had the vibe he was looking for, or the vocal range. Until one that he found yesterday. Dave coming out seems to have reinvigorated him and he’d found one that night after hours of searching.

He raises his hand before he really even knows what he’s doing. “Mr. Schue, if I may?”

“What’s up, Kurt?”

He stands from his chair, looking around the room. “No offense to Finn, but I, for one, am tired of not having a male lead in any of the group numbers. I understand his voice is what people are more used to hearing and perhaps it’s a bit unconventional for me to be a male lead. But I, as well as the rest of you, also understand that I have arguably one of the biggest ranges out of anyone here. That being said,” he says, walking down the steps to stand in front of the piano, handing Brad the sheet music. “I think I have the perfect song.”

_Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, o_h

He starts, closing his eyes, hands on the microphone in front of him as he sings. 

_You’ve got these little things_  
That you’ve been running from  
You either love them or I guess you don’t  
You’re such a pretty thing  
To be running from anyone  
A vision with nowhere to go

Kurt opens his eyes, focusing his gaze on Dave and trying in vain to ascertain his thoughts. Dave is staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face as he watches him move to the beat.

_So tell me right now_  
You think you’re ready for it  
I wanna know  
Why you got me going  
So let’s go  
We’ll take it out of here  
I think I’m ready to leap  
I’m ready to live

_I’m ready to go_  
Get me out of my mind  
Get me out of my mind  
I’m ready to go  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

_You’ve got these little things_  
You wanted somethin’ for ‘em  
You either get it or I guess you won’t  
What does it really mean  
To get nothin’ from anyone?  
There’s a million ways it could go

_So tell me right now_  
You think you’re ready for it  
I wanna know  
Why you got me going  
So let’s go  
We’ll take it out of here  
I think I’m ready to leap  
I’m ready to live

_I’m ready to go_  
Get me out of my mind  
Get me out of my mind  
I’m ready to go  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

His voice gets quieter as he hits the bridge, slowly building as he closes his eyes again before letting it all out as the chorus comes around again. 

_I think I’m ready I think_  
I know I’m ready I know  
I think I’m ready I think  
I know I’m ready I know  
I think I’m ready I think  
I know I’m ready I know  
I think I’m ready I think  
I know

_I’m ready to go_  
Get me out of my mind  
Get me out of my mind  
I’m ready to go  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

_I’m ready to go_  
Get me out of my mind  
Get me out of my mind  
I’m ready to go  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

_I’m ready to go_  
Get me out of my mind  
Get me out of my mind  
I’m ready to go  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Just as when Dave had sung, the room is silent as he finishes. He looks at all of them as they stare at him, breathing a little unsteadily, before landing on Dave. He’s looking at him a little strangely, but there’s a slight smile on his face, which Kurt supposes could be a good sign. He doesn’t know who starts it but suddenly there’s applause and cheers. Kurt smiles and does a little bow before going back to his seat, head held high. 

“Well,” says Mr. Schue, “if everyone agrees then I think that could definitely be a contender. Kurt, really, that was great. And it would be even better with background vocals.”

Kurt grins. “Thank you.”

When he looks over, Dave is still staring at him with a small, confused smile. 

Kurt sits back in his chair, smiling while he listens to Mercedes and Tina talking about his song and how they could work it into a group number, feeling better than he has in days.

–

They’re walking down the hallway a few days later with Puck and Finn when it happens. Kurt’s listening to them talk about something with football and a game coming up when Dave’s steps slow slightly as he glances over at Kurt, letting Puck and Finn go on without them. 

Kurt stops walking altogether, causing Dave to do the same, and faces him with a curious look, arms crossed over his chest.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you staring at me?”

Dave gapes. “I’m not staring at you,” he says. “I dunno what you’re talking about.”

Kurt narrows his eyes. “Yes, you are, you’re looking at me like you - _oh my god, move_,” he says, tugging at Dave’s arm, but it’s too late. Dave’s standing there, suddenly drenched in the frozen shaved ice and red dye number six of a slushie.

He doesn’t even see who does it, but he can bet it’s one of the guys on the hockey team. 

Kurt watches him, watching as Dave’s face goes from shock to anger as he closes his eyes tightly, seemingly trying to calm himself down. “David?” he says, but there’s no answer as Dave wipes a hand over his face. “Come on.” He grabs at Dave’s arm, pulling him into the nearest bathroom and sitting him down in the chair there. Kurt takes some of the paper towels out of the dispenser, wetting them in the sink, and gently wipes over his face to rid him of any of the sticky mess. He does it for a moment before Dave finally says anything, though the words are soft and far from anything he’d been expecting, lacking any mention of kicking some Puckhead’s ass.

“I liked your song,” Dave says, causing Kurt’s hand to still so that he can look down at him, seeing Dave staring at him. “It’d be a good song. For the group or whatever.”

Kurt doesn’t know what to say, giving him a brief smile and a “thank you” before wetting another paper towel to get rid of any residual stickiness. “I liked yours, too. The one you auditioned with, I mean. It’s a good song, it your voice well.”

“Thanks.” Dave pauses, “I was kinda singing it to you. If you didn’t know that, I mean.”

Kurt smiles softly, finishing wiping him down, though he doesn’t move from where he’s perched on the arm of the chair. “I didn’t know,” he says. “I mean I had my suspicions but I didn’t want to get my hopes up if I was wrong, so.” He puts the towels down on the sink, turning back to him slowly. “My song was kind of for you, too.”

Dave sits up straighter in the chair so that they’re more face to face and tentatively takes Kurt’s hand in his own, watching for any hesitation on Kurt’s face. All he finds is Kurt staring back at him, looking far more serious than he’s seen him in months. He looks down at their joined hands, Kurt’s eyes following his gaze as he lets out an involuntary shiver as Dave rubs his thumb over his hand. “God, I’ve wanted to do this for years,” Dave mutters.

“Do what?”

Dave shrugs. “Hold your hand. Tell you how I feel about you. Anything.”

“And - and how do you feel about me, David?” Kurt asks softly, feeling his heart beat faster just at the thought of what Dave might say.

Dave looks back up at him with a brief smile. “I… And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too is when I fall in love with you.” He doesn’t sing the words this time, instead just saying them normally, wanting them to be heard. And by the way Kurt’s face breaks out into a smile, his eyes a little brighter, it was probably the right decision.

Kurt leans down until they’re mere inches apart and, giving him another slight smile, kisses him softly, moving their lips together slowly as Dave lets out a muffled moan. His arms go to wrap loosely around Dave’s neck as Dave kisses him back, leaning in closer. Kurt pulls back slowly after a moment to catch his breath, biting his lip to keep from smiling so hard. “I, uhm. I’ve wanted to do that for months.”

“What?”

“Yeah. That night in July when you were over at my house and we were watching When Harry Met Sally. I looked over at you and… I don’t know. You were so cute just sitting there watching the movie and it was at the end during the New Year’s Eve party when Harry’s telling her what he loves about her and you were mouthing all the lines.”

“It’s one of my mom’s favorite movies,” Dave grumbles with a blush.

“I’m not judging,” says Kurt with a smile. “It’s one of mine, too. And apparently yours. Anyway, it took everything I had not to kiss you right there.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Kurt shrugs. “I wanted to make sure I was ready. I didn’t want to jump into anything so soon after Blaine.”

“And now?”

“And now,” Kurt smiles slowly, leaning down to kiss him again. “_I think I’m ready to leap, I’m ready to live, I’m ready to go._” 

_fin._


End file.
